'Emmanuelle' star Sylvia Kristel dies at 60

'Emmanuelle' star Sylvia Kristel dies at 60

Ralph Gatti / AFP / Getty Images

Actress Sylvia Kristel, the Dutch star of the hit 1970s erotic "Emmanuelle" movies, has died of cancer at age 60. Her agent, Features Creative Management, said in a statement Thursday that Kristel died in her sleep Wednesday night. Kristel, a model who turned to acting in the 1970s, had been fighting cancer for several years. Her breakthrough came in "Emmanuelle," a 1974 erotic tale directed by Frenchman Just Jaeckin, about the sexual adventures of a man and his beautiful young wife in Thailand. Full story: 'Emmanuelle' star Sylvia Kristel dies at age 60 | PHOTOS: Sylvia Kristel - Life in Pictures

Actress Sylvia Kristel, the Dutch star of the hit 1970s erotic "Emmanuelle" movies, has died of cancer at age 60. Her agent, Features Creative Management, said in a statement Thursday that Kristel died in her sleep Wednesday night. Kristel, a model who turned to acting in the 1970s, had been fighting cancer for several years. Her breakthrough came in "Emmanuelle," a 1974 erotic tale directed by Frenchman Just Jaeckin, about the sexual adventures of a man and his beautiful young wife in Thailand. Full story: 'Emmanuelle' star Sylvia Kristel dies at age 60 | PHOTOS: Sylvia Kristel - Life in Pictures (Ralph Gatti / AFP / Getty Images)

Actress Sylvia Kristel, the Dutch star of the hit 1970s erotic "Emmanuelle" movies, has died of cancer at age 60. Her agent, Features Creative Management, said in a statement Thursday that Kristel died in her sleep Wednesday night. Kristel, a model who turned to acting in the 1970s, had been fighting cancer for several years. Her breakthrough came in "Emmanuelle," a 1974 erotic tale directed by Frenchman Just Jaeckin, about the sexual adventures of a man and his beautiful young wife in Thailand. Full story: 'Emmanuelle' star Sylvia Kristel dies at age 60 | PHOTOS: Sylvia Kristel - Life in Pictures